Iran, Iraq stress working on implementation of security pact

Gholamhossein Mohseni Ejei made the remarks in a meeting with President Abdul Latif Rashid of Iraq in Baghdad on Wednesday.

Ejei said Iran’s security has been intertwined with that of Iraq, and the two neighbors would benefit hugely from closer stances on regional and international issues.

“We need to work to progress the security pact in a more coherent way to defuse enemy plots that threaten and hinder the security of Iran and Iraq.”

Iran and Iraq signed the pact to ensure that terrorists opposed to Iran would not be able to operate in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region.

Iraq’s central government then deployed troops to the border regions between Kurdistan and Iran while relocating some of the terrorists to areas deep inside the Iraqi territory.

Iranian authorities have expressed satisfaction with Iraq’s efforts carried out under the security pact, but they insist more has to be done.

Rashid told Ejei in the meeting on Wednesday that Iraq and Iran should coordinate positions on regional and international issues to protect the security and stability of the two countries and the entire region.

He also urged more cooperation between the two neighbors, especially on judicial and legal issues.

Iran and Iraq have been working on an international legal case to prosecute people and governments behind the assassination on January 3, 2020 of the commander of the Quds Force of Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps Qassem Soleimani and second-in-command of Iraq’s Popular Mobilization Units Abu Mahdi Al-Muhandis.